Zambia and Nigeria set the pace for African elections this year.

Once again, two African countries will head to the polls early this year. Zambians will head to the polls on January 20, while Nigerians will head to the polls in mid February. The two countries will set the pace for elections and democracy for Africa this year. Last year, there were seven peaceful elections in Africa. However, there were also a number of coups and instabilities, most notably the military coup in Burkina Faso, and the attempted coup in The Gambia. This shows that African countries still have a long way to go before democracy is entrenched in the continent.

The election in Zambia will be a mere formality, as the contestants race to replace former President Michael Sata, who died of health related complications. Had it not been for the factionalism in the ruling Patriotic Front coalition, the election would have been a foregone conclusion. Zambia is one of the few countries in

Africa that have had a peaceful change of governments. However, the fluctuation in the price of copper has meant that the economy has suffered several shocks.

The other major election will be in Nigeria. The election will pit the incumbent Goodluck Jonathan, a southerner, against Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner. However, there are areas in which the country must improve on. According to President Barrack Obama’s former Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, Johnnie Carson, there are three major challenges that the country will face:

-The cascading violence in the North East of the country.

-The close election in mid February.

-The drop in the price of oil

The election in February will be particularly defining, and while President Goodluck Jonathan held a huge lead earlier on, recent opinion polls show that the election will be a close call. There is also a potential for violence in the northern parts if Mr. Buhari does not win.